They weren’t deterred by the rain or the machinery and caution tape at the pantry’s entrance, as contractors continued work on a capital improvement project to repoint the early 19th-century cathedral’s gray stone.

Nearly 400 families from the Capital Hill, Center Square, Hudson, Washington and Park South neighborhoods receive a six-day supply of food and personal care items from the pantry each month. It’s one of the larger food pantries in the Capital Region, an area where 40,000 people receive monthly food assistance. Last year, volunteers distributed the equivalent of 135,000 meals.

“We work in a coalition with other food pantries, so that all streets in Albany and the outlying areas are covered,” said the Rev. Deb Jameson, FOCUS executive director. “It takes 75 volunteers to run our pantry — they’re really the backbone of this program.”

The interfaith food pantry is funded and operated through the collaborative efforts of the FOCUS Churches of Albany — a consortium of faith communities (Delmar Reformed, Emmanuel Baptist, First Presbyterian, Israel AME, Trinity United Methodist and Westminster Presbyterian churches) that pools resources to provide programming and advocacy for low-income Albany residents — and several other faith affiliates, including Congregation Beth Emeth, First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany, New Covenant Presbyterian Church and St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church.

The Rev. Deb Jameson displays bowls that will be distributed Thursday at the Linda during the inaugural Empty Bowls benefit for FOCUS Interfaith Food Pantry. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)

Empty Bowls is an international effort to fight hunger, created by the Imagine Render Group. The idea is simple: Each attendee chooses a unique handcrafted bowl, fills it with a soup and takes the bowl home at the end of the event as a reminder that people face hunger every day.

Similar fundraisers are popular in Wilton and Troy. This year’s event in Wilton, which was held in April to benefit the Wilton Food Pantry, sold out in 15 minutes.

“Small nonprofits like ours are really struggling for funding,” said Jameson, a board member of the Hunger Action Network of New York State. “We have to be creative about raising money and awareness.”

FOCUS Churches of Albany depends on volunteers to provide access to a number of emergency feeding programs, while advocating to end hunger and poverty. For information, click here.

Empty Bowls

A fundraiser to benefit FOCUS Churches of Albany feeding programs, 5 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, at The Linda, 339 Central Ave., Albany. $25. For information, call 443-0460 or email info@focuschurches.net. Tickets will be available at the door.